Sunday, January 25, 2009

Have you ever used a coin-operated laundry room?

I'm hanging out in the laundry room right now, feeding quarters into a washing machine similar to this one. I bought a miniature box of Tide for $1, and have started a 37-minute cycle. Thirty-seven minutes can seem like a long time in the laundry room. I'm down to eight minutes. Then I'll feed quarters into the dryer.

It's a good opportunity to see some of the nice neighbors. I don't know if neighbors is the right term, but you know what I mean. It's like a little community here, as we sometimes see each other in the laundy room or when purchasing a Diet Coke from one of the vending machines.

Laundry rooms are relatively nice, but I prefer the washer and dryer I'm going to have in my new home. I haven't told you about my new home yet, have I? You're really going to like that. Those are going to be some of my best posts yet. We'll file those under the "explosive blessings" category, or the "who would have thought?" blessings category. More on that later.

But for now, let's get the skivvies and socks cleaned so they'll be ready for the suitcase. I think I'm going to move to a different part of the city tomorrow, not that I don't love where I am right now. One of the benefits to living in hotel rooms is the ability to move to different locations on a whim. I might see what other exciting areas of town I'd like to get to know...or might be offering inexpensive lodging!

I've had a quiet weekend since the firearms extravaganza at the cinema Friday night. I've got to go catch more of those exciting movies. I've mostly been resting in the room, waiting on the Lord.

The place I'm staying now has been really nice. I've got plenty of towels and it's been very comfortable, but I'm living inside what in some ways resembles a compound. To get inside you have to pass through metal doors opened with a key, and they are nice enough to have security guards watching the area at night, protecting us against criminals or undesirables. I love everyone, just like Jesus does, but I guess the theory is that some people are best loved from a distance. So this great place is set up to keep us happy and safe.

The clothes are in the dryer now, turning on high heat. The window on the door of dryer is rectangle-shaped, like the monolith those monkeys fondle in "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Staring into that rectangle watching the clothes turn is mesmerizing, like watching the Star Gate scene on a movie screen. That reminds me, I really want to find a movie theater that is showing that film. If you all hear of one, please let me know.

Don't y'all love our New Year's Resolutions that we've all been busy keeping? I may have missed a couple days of reading Old Testament stuff, but when you miss a day you've just got to trudge forward the next day. We can't be quitters.

Here's one I was looking at today:

"Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with a vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you" (Isaiah 35: 4).

I like the mental picture that one conjures up. He's not just coming, he's coming with a vengeance. He's coming with divine retribution. I'm not sure what divine retribution is, but I'd hate to be on the wrong end of it. I think what we can take from that one is he's coming, and when he shows up we're going to know he's shown up. Things are going to change when God comes with divine retribution. You can count on that.

It's refreshing to know we have clean clothes, and we've all been reading our Bibles. That's great news. Even the great James Earl Jones is quoting scripture these days. You church folks and preachers like it when I reference the Bible, don't you? It makes you feel good. Great, here's another one I like:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41: 10).

Another Old Testament oldie but goodie. Well, we're just waiting and hoping, aren't we. Waiting on God to show up with divine retribution. I'm looking forward to that as well.

OK, clothes are now done and I'm back in my room. My socks and skivvies are fresh and brilliantly clean, as are my other pieces of clothing. Thank you for doing the laundry with me this evening. God bless you, and I'll talk to you later.